Label handling device



NOV. 12, 1968 COLLIER ET AL LABEL HANDLING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 23, 1966 fnvenz brw @mesfi. C0 ill/'6)? M, WW @a Nov. 12, 1968 J. R. COLLIER ET AL 3,410,552

v LABEL HANDLING DEVICE Filed May 23, 1966 a Sheets-Sheet 2 Q wa f ww mwww NOV. 12, 1968 J COLLIER ET Al. 3,410,552

LABEL HANDLING DEVICE Filed y 23' 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet o mm A Q mm W United States Patent 3,410,552 LABEL HANDLING DEVICE James R. Collier, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Gerald W. Ruchty, Sidney, Ohio, assignors to Franklin Electric Co., Inc., Blufiton, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed May 23, 1966, Ser. No. 552,186 Claims. (Cl. 27165) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure deals with a label handling device for use with a label printing mechanism of a scale, for example. The label handling device includes a downwardly inclined chute which receives printed labels at its upper end. Two retractable label stops are located along the length of the chute, thus forming two possible label holding positions, and a heater may be provided at one of the two positions. The device further includes an adjustable mechanism at the upper end of the chute, which is adjustable between one position where it inverts labels entering the chute and a second position where it directs labels into the chute without inverting them.

Disclosure US. Patent No. 2,948,466 describes a system for weighing an article, computing the selling price of the article based on its weight and unit price, printing the selling price plus other information such as the weight and the unit price on a label, and issuing the label to a label handling device with the printed side of the label facing downwardly. The system is capable of performing a series of such operations and two different modes of operation are contemplated in the patent. In one mode of operation, the information is printed on the lower side of a label having a heat activated adhesive on its upper side. The label handling device includes a label chute and a heater, and the labels are momentarily held in the label chute on top of the heater by stops with the adhesive side facing upwardly. After the adhesive has been activated, the label is removed from the chute by means for applying it to an article. In the second mode of operation, a different label handling device is provided, which does not include a heater but does include means for turning the label over to place the printed side of the label facing upwardly before the label enters the chute. The label may or may not have an adhesive on its side opposite the printed side. Again, the device includes means to hold the label in the chute until it is removed by means for applying it to an article.

Copending patent application Ser. N0. 363,955, in the name of Omar Hansen, ]r., describes an automatic transfer and labeling machine designed for use with a system of the type described in Patent No. 2,948,466. The transfer and labeling machine moves a succession of articles such as packages across the weighing platform of the scale of the system, and it includes a label pickup head which removes the labels from the label chute and applies them to the packages in the proper order. Labels having an adhesive backing are usually used, and the label pickup head is designed to pick up a label with its printed side facing upwardly, heat the label to activate the adhesive, and press the label on the top side of a package.

When used with the Hansen automatic transfer and labeling machine, the system disclosed in Patent No. 2,948.466 is preferably provided with the type of label handling device used in the second mode of operation described with regard to Patent No. 2,948,466, wherein the labels are inverted to place the printed side thereof facing upwardly. The use of the label handling device designed for the second mode of operation results in some inconvenience, however, because the system cannot then be used in the first mode of operation unless a different label handling device is provided.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a label handling device for use in a system of the type described above, which may be used in both of the above two modes of operation.

Another object is to provide a label handling device of the above character, which may be easily and quickly converted from use in one mode of operation to use in the other mode.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures of the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a weighing, computing, and label printing system including a label handling device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the label handling device when adjusted for one mode of operation;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a still further enlarged, fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the label handling device;

FIG. 5 is a still further enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view generally similar to FIG. 3 but showing the label handling device adjusted for a different mode of operation; and

FIG. 7 is a view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6, showing the back of the label handling device.

In general, a label handling device embodying the invention is adapted to be installed in a system of the type disclosed in the above Patent No. 2,948,466 and be used with an automatic transfer and labeling machine of the type disclosed in the copending Hansen patent application Ser. No. 363,955. The label handling device comprises a downwardly incluined chute adapted at its upper end to receive labels from a label issuing device of the system. The device further includes first and second stops which are located along the length of the chute and are adapted to extend into the path of labels sliding down the chute, the first and second stops being respectively located to engage and hold the labels at first and second positions in the chute. When in one mode of operation, the labels are stopped at one of these positions and when in the other mode of operation the labels are stopped at the other position. The second stop is located upwardly along the chute from the first stop, whereby a label sliding down the chute may be engaged and held by the second stop. The second stop is adapted to be retracted out of the path of labels sliding down the chute and when the second stop has been retracted the label slides further down the chute to the first stop.

The label handling device further includes an adjustable label inverting means located adjacent the label issuing means and at the upper end of the label chute, the label inverting means being adjustable either to receive a label from the label issuing means, invert the label, and direct the label into the chute, or todirect the label into the chute without inverting it. The labels are inverted when in one mode of operation and they are not inverted when in the other mode of operation. The label handling device further includes a heater for heating a label to thereby activate an adhesive backing of the label if there is such a backing, the heater being located at one of the first and second positions along the chute and used when in one of the two modes of operation.

Assuming that the labels leave the label issuing means with the adhesive side up, the label handling device is set for operation with a transfer and labeling machine by adjusting the label inverting means to invert the labels and direct the labels into the chute, and the second stop is adjusted so that the labels sliding down the chute are stopped at the position which does not include the heater. In such operation, a label pickup head of the transfer and labeling machine described in the above referred to Hansen patent application, picks up each label with the adhesive side facing downwardly, heats the label as it is being transferred from the label chute to the package, and places the label on the package.

When it is desired to set the label handling device for the other mode of operation where the labels may be manually applied to the packages, for example, the label inverting means is adjusted to direct the labels into the chute without inverting them, and the second stop is adjusted to cause each label to be held at the position where it is over the heater. In such operation, each label is permitted to remain on the heater sufliciently long for the adhesive to be activated, and then the label is applied to a package as by manually lowering the package on top of the label chute and the label so that the package engages the label adhesive. The label then sticks to the package and remains on the package when the package is lifted off the label chute.

The label handling device is preferably also provided with means for retracting the first and second stops as the label is being picked up when in the respective modes of operation, and the device preferably also includes means for actuating a lock-out arrangement :which is connected in the weighing and computing circuits of the system.

In greater detail, a system including a. label handling device embodying the invention comprises a weighing mechanism 14 (FIG. 1) including a weighing platform 11, computing apparatus 12 for computing the price of an article placed on the weighing platform 11, the price being based on the weight of the article and the unit price of the article, a printing mechanism 13 which prints the computed information plus other information, such as identifying data, on labels, and a label handling device 14 which receives the printed labels from the printing mechanism 13. The printer 13 may be provided with manual control knobs 16 which are used to set the printing and computing apparatus for the unit price of a series of articles being handled by the system.

With reference to FIGS. 2 to 7, the label handling device 14 comprises a frame 20 including right and left hand generally parallel housing sections 21 and 22, respectively, and parallel right and left hand side plates 23 and 24, respectively. An opening is formed in the housing of the printing mechanism, and the two housing sections 21 and 22 are adapted to be secured to the housing of the printing mechanism 13 around the opening, the two sections 21 and 22 and the plates 23 and 24 extending forwardly from the printer housing and the plates 23 and 24 also extending into the housing through the opening.

Each of the two sections 21 and 22 comprises a platelike portion 25, an upper portion 26 and a lower front portion 27. The two upper portions 26 extend toward each other from the respective plate-like portions 25, and are secured together as by a strap 28 and screws 29 (FIGS. 6 and 7). The two lower front portions 27 also extend toward each other and are secured together as by another strap 31 and screws 32. The lower rear portions of the sections 21 and 22 are also secured together by another strap 30 and screws 30a (FIG. 7), bosses 30b being formed on the innersurfaces of the sections 21 and 22 for connection with the screws 30a. The screws 30a and bosses 30b also serve to secure the plates 23 and 24 to the sections 21 and 22. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, outwardly extending flanges 300 are formed at the lower edges of the plates 23 and 24, which are secured to the bosses 30b by the screws 30a. The two parallel side plates 23 and 24 are spaced inwardly from the two plate-like portions 25 of the housing sections 21 and 22 and are secured together at their lower ends as by suitable straps 33 (FIGS. 3 and 7) and at their upper ends by a strap portion 34 of a label inverting mechanism (to be described more fully hereinafter). Of course, the plates 23 and 24 are also secured together through the sections 21 and 22 and the strap 30. The opening in the housing of the printing mechanism 13 for the label handling device generally corresponds to but is smaller than the configuration of the outer dimensions of the housing sections 21 and 22, and the sections 21 and 22 of the label handling device cover the opening in the printer mechanism housing when the device is installed thereon. The device is secured to the printer mechanism housing by means of screws (not shown) which extend through holes formed in the housing and through slots 35 (FIG. 7) formed in the strap 33.

Fastened to the strap 33 which connects the side plates 23 and 24 is an electrical connector 36 (FIG. 3) having prongs 37. The connector 36 is adapted to be engaged by a suitable plug for connecting the electrical components of the label handling device to the electrical circuits of the printing and computing apparatus.

Also mounted between the two side plates 23 and 24 and supported thereby is a drive motor 41 (FIG. 3) having a drive shaft 42, the motor 41 being secured to the side plates 23 and 24 by tabs 43 and screws 44. The drive motor 41 is connected to rotate a pair of superposed feed rollers 46 and 47 (FIGS. 3, 6 and 7) which are mounted on laterally extending shafts 48 and 49, respectively. The shafts 48 and 49 extend horizontally between the side plates 23 and 24 and their ends extend into vertically elongated slots 51 (FIGS. 3) formed in the two side plates 23 and 24. The shafts 48 and 49 are vertically movable in the slots 51 a short distance relative to each other and to the side plates, and the rollers 46 and 47 are urged downwardly into engagement with each other by the force of gravity. The feed roller 46, which is uppermost, is generally cylindrical and may be made of a relatively heavy material such as brass, and the feed roller 47. is preferably formed by two laterally spaced cylindrical sections which are made of a material such as rubber. The nip of the feed rollers 46 and 47 is located to receive labels from a set of ejector wheels and a track (not shown) of the printer mechanism 13. The two laterally spaced sections of the roller 47 form an open space therebet-ween, and when the printing mechanism delivers a printed label with the freshly printed ink at the bottom side thereof, the laterally spaced sections of the roller 47 engage only the edges of the label and therefore do not smear the ink.

The feed rollers 46 and 47 are connected to the drive motor 41 by a drive roller 52, which is mounted on a shaft 56. The drive roller 52 is also formed by two laterally spaced sections which are aligned with and engage the two sections of the roller 47. A worm 53 is secured to the outer end of the drive shaft 42 of the motor 41, and meshes with a worm gear 54 secured to the shaft 56 at substantially the center thereof (FIGS. 6 and 7) between the two sections of the roller 52. The shaft 56 is rotatably mounted on the side plates 23 and 24 below the feed rollers 46 and 47, the roller 47 being gravity urged into engagement with the roller 52. The direction of rotation of .the drive motor shaft 42 and the configuration of the gears 53 and 54 is such that the drive roller 52 and the feed roller 46 are rotated in the clockwise direction as seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, while the other feed roller 47 is rotated in the clockwise direction. Thus, a label entering the nip of the feed rollers 46 and 47 from the right as seen in FIGS. 3 and 6 is engaged by the feed rollers 46 and 47 and moved to the left.

The drive motor 41 is preferably energized continuously and consequently the drive roller 52 and the feed rollers 46 and 47 also rotate continuously. The feed rollers 46 and 47 are preferably rotated at a relatively fast rate, so that a label entering the nip as previously explained will be engaged by the feed rollers 46 and 47 and snapped toward the left as seen in FIG 3. The vertically elongated slots 51 in the side plates 23 and 24 permit the feed roller 46 to shift upwardly slightly when the label passes be tween the feed rollers.

Forwardly of the two feed rollers 46 and 47 there is provided a downwardly and forwardly inclined chute comprising an S-shaped slide 61 (FIG. 3), three parallel rods 62, and the upper surface of a label heater 63. The upper end of the slide 61 is positioned just forwardly and slightly downwardly from the nip of the feed rollers 46 and 47, and the lower end of the slide 61 overlaps the upper ends of the three rods 62. The upper ends of the downwardly and forwardly extending rods 62 are secured to the underside of the slide 61 and the slide 61 and the rods 62 are secured to two laterally extending rods 64. At their ends, the rods 64 are secured to two side guides 67 which in turn are fastened to the plates 23 and 24. The heater 63 is located downwardly and forwardly from the lower ends of the rods 62 and is secured to a laterally extending brace 66 (FIG. 3) which is secured to the side plates 23 and 24.

The upper surfaces of the slide 61, the rods 62 and the heater 63 are polished and are substantially flush, so that a label inserted into the chute at the top of the slide 61 may slide downwardly along the slide 61, along the three rods 62, and down to the heater 63. The side guides 67 (FIGS. 2 and 3) are parallel and are spaced apart a distance which is slightly greater than the width of the labels normally used, and guide the labels from the upper end of the slide 61 downwardly to nearly the forward ends of the three rods 62. Downwardly from the guides 67, the movement of a label sliding down the chute is controlled by a label retainer 68 which has a pair of laterally spaced, forwardly extending retainer portions 69 (FIG. 3) formed thereon. The two retainer portions 69 extend adjacent the sides of the heater 63 and serve to hold the label on top of the heater 63. The label retainer 68 also includes a laterally extending stop portion 7 t) which is located adjacent the forward side of the heater 63, in position to engage and stop labels on top of the heater 63.

In addition to retaining labels on top of the heater 63, the retainer 68 also serves as a guard around the heater 63 because it extends upwardly around the heater sufficiently far to prevent accidental touching of the heater 63.

When it is desired to use the weighing, computing and label printing system with an automatic transfer and labeling machine of the character described in the above mentioned Hansen patent application, it is preferred that the labels move down the chute of the label handling device with the adhesive side down and be prevented from reaching the heater 63, since the transfer and labeling machine includes a label pickup head which picks up the label, heats it, and applies it to a package. To prevent the labels from reaching the heater 63, a retractable U-shaped stop 71 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is provided. The center portion of the U-shaped stop 71 is secured to a leaf 72 as by welding. The leaf 72 has the stop 71 secured to the lower end thereof, and the leaf extends upwardly and rearwardly from the stop 71 to a laterally extending shaft 73 which is pivotably mounted on the frame 20. The leaf 72 is secured to the shaft 73 by means of a tubular member 74 which receives the shaft 73, the member 74 being secured to the plate 72 as by welding and being secured to the shaft 73 as by a set screw 76. As shown in FIG. 7, the shaft 73 extends through holes formed in the two side plates 23 and 24 and is prevented from moving along its axis relative to the side plates 23 and 24 by snap rings 77. The plate 72 and the stop 71 being pivotably mounted relative to the housing 20, they are urged in the clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 3 by a torsion spring 78 (FIGS. 2 and 7) which has one end anchored against the underside of the stationary slide 61 and its other end in engagement with the upper edge of the plate 72. Thus, the torsion spring 78 constantly urges the plate 72 in the clockwise direction to a position where the arms of the stop 71 extend upwardly between the rods 62 and above the level of the rods 62. The extent of clockwise movement of the plate 72, and consequently the upper position of the stop 71 is limited by the centermost of the three rods 62, which extends over the top of the center portion of the U-shaped stop 71 and in position to be engaged by the stop 71 upon movement thereof.

When the stop 71 is in the upper position, shown in full lines in FIG. 3, the upper ends of the arms of the stop 71 extend above the upper level of the rods 62 and in the path of a label sliding down the chute. When it is desired to permit the label to slide all the way down to the heater 63, the stop 71 may be moved downwardly to a retracted, position and held there by means of an angle shaped pin 81 (FIGS. 2 and 4). One end portion of the pin 81 extends through a hole 80 formed in the side of the housing section 21 and through a hole formed in the side plate 23. The pin 81 is mounted for movement along the axis of the inwardly extending end portion thereof by means of a block 82 which is secured to the inner surface of the housing section 21 by means of screws 83. The pin 81 extends through a hole formed in the block 82 which includes a detent arrangement for releasably holding the pin 81 at either of two adjusted positions. As shown in FIG. 5, a detent 84 is positioned in a hole 86 formed in the block 82 and is movable in a direction which is normal to the axis of the pin 81. The detent is urged toward the pin 81 by a compression spring 87, positioned between a screw 88 and the detent 84. Two annular grooves 91 and 92 are formed in the pin 81. For each groove 91 and 92, the side of the groove which is adjacent the other groove is slanted as shown in FIG. 5, while the other side of each of the grooves extends substantially radially. Thus, the detent 84, limits the extent of movement of the pin 31 to the distance between the two grooves 91 and 92, and when the detent is in one of the two grooves, it holds the pin in that position.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the pin 81 is pulled outwardly to place the innermost grooves 92 adjacent the detent 84, the inner end of the pin 81 is out of engagement with the leaf 72. Consequently, the pin 81 when in this position does not prevent movement of the stop 71. However, when leaf 72 is pivoted to move the stop 71 to its retracted position, the pin 81 may be pushed inwardly to place the groove 91 in engagement with the detent 84, at which position the inner end of the pin extends over the top of the plate 72, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and holds the stop 71 in the retracted position. When the pin 81 is pulled out to the position shown in FIG. 2, the torsion spring 78 pivots the plate 72 and returns the stop 71 to the extended position where the arms of the stop 71 lie in the path of labels sliding down the rods 62.

When using the label handling device in conjunction with an automatic transfer and labeling machine of the character described in the above mentioned Hansen patent application, the stop 71 is placed in the upward position where it extends into the path of a label sliding down the chute and holds it until a label pickup head of the transfer and labeling machine picks up the label. However, it is also desirable to have the stop 71 retracted each time that the label pickup head picks up a label, and to this end, a lever 96 (FIG. 2) is secured to one end of the shaft 73 and in a position to be engaged by the mechanism which carries the label pickup head, as a label is being picked up. The shaft 73 extends beyond the frame 20 on the opposite side of the device from the pin 81, through a hole 97 formed in the housing section 22, and the lever 96 includes a tubular portion 98 which is positioned over the end of the shaft 73 and is secured thereto as by a set screw 99. As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 96 extends substantially downwardly from the shaft 73, and when the mechanism which carries the pick-up head swings the pick-up head over to pick up a label, it engages the lever 96 adjacent its lower end and pushes the lower portion of the lever 96 rearwardly. Consequently, the shaft 73 is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction :as seen in FIG. 3 and the stop 71 is retracted.

When the labels are to be manually applied to the packages, the device is adjusted, as will be explained later, to cause the labels to enter the chute with the adhesive side facing upwardly. Further, the stop 71 is placed in the retracted position and held there by manually turning the lever 96 and pressing the pin 81 inwardly to the position where its inner end overlies the plate 72 (FIG. 7). Thereafter, a label sliding downwardly along the rods 62 will pass over the top of the stop 71 and move on to the heater 63. The label will slide downwardly until it engages the stop portion 70 of the label retainer 68 and will be held thereby over the heater 63, as shown by the dash dot representation of a label indicated by the numeral lllf of FIG. 6. The label retainer 68 is generally U-shaped when viewed from the above. The inner edges of the arms of the U are bent downwardly to form the retainer portions 69, and the stop portion 70 is secured to the underside of the center of the U and extends downwardly therefrom.

The upper surface portions at the sides of the guard 68 project rearwardly and overlie the upper edges of the housing sections 21 and 22 adjacent the rods 62.

The retainer 68 is pivotally mounted on the frame of the device so that the portions of the retainers around the heater 63 may be moved downwardly when a label is being picked up. Thus, the portions 69 of the retainer 68 are spaced laterally inwardly from the side of the housing sections, and the rearward ends are pivotally mounted on the frame 20 by the laterally extending rod 73 which also pivotally carries the stop 71 (FIGS. 4 and 6), and thus the retainer 68 may be pivoted on the axis of the shaft 73. When the forward end of the retainer is pressed downwardly, the upper level of the retainer are substantially flush with the upper level of the heater 63. Thereafter, when pressure on the retainer 68 is released, the retainer is returned in the clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 3 by a leaf spring 112 (FIG. 3) which is secured to the frame through the strap 30 by screws and nuts 113. A member 114 is secured to the underside of the center portion of the retainer 68 and extends downwardly and rests on the forward end portion of the leaf spring 112. Thus, downward movement of the forward end of the retainer 68 bends the forward end portion of the leaf spring 112 downwardly and when pressure on the retainer 68 is released, the spring 112 returns the retainer 62 to the upper or normal position shown in FIGS. 3 and 6.

When operating in the manual mode, a label is inserted into the chute by the feed rollers 46 and 47, slides down the chute, and comes to rest on the heater 63. An operator may apply the label to an article by picking up the article and then moving the article downwardly until it comes to rest on the top of the: label handling device. The weight of the article causes the retainer 68 to swing downwardly about the axis of the shaft 73 so that the article may engage the label, and the article is permitted to rest momentarily on top of the label. The label remains on the heater 63 sufficiently long for the label adhesive to be activated, and the adhesive causes the label to adhere to the article. When the article and the label are lifted upwardly, the leaf spring 112 returns the retainer 68 to the upper position.

As stated previously when the label passes through the feed rollers 46 and 47, its printed side faces downwardly and its adhesive side faces upwardly. Since it is desirable to have the adhesive side of the label facing upwardly when it is permitted to move downwardly to the heater 63, and to have the adhesive side of the label facing downwardly when the label is retained by the stop 71, an adjustable label inverting mechanism 101 is provided either for inverting the labels before directing the labels to the label chute or for directing the labels to the chute without first inverting them. The label inverting mechanism 101 comprises a member 102, which is generally trough-shaped when viewed from the side (FIG. 3), and a pair of pivotally mounted fingers 103. The fingers 103 are secured in laterally spaced relation to a shaft 106 which extends laterally between and is pivotally mounted on the side plates 23 and 24. The member 102 includes upper and lower sides 105 and 105a, respectively, which extend rearwardly and downwardly from the center portion of the trough, the sides 105 and 105a forming the opening of the trough. The rearward end of the upper side 105 of the member 102 forms the strap portion 34 previously referred to, which secures the upper ends of the two side plates together by means of screws or rivets 104. The lower side 105a of the member 102 comprises a pair of laterally space portions (FIG. 2), and the fingers 103 extend between these portions. The fingers are located such that they slidingly engage the inner edges of these two portions, such engagement holding the fingers 103 at a pivotally adjusted position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower side 105a extends into the path of a label leaving the feed rollers 46 and 47. When the fingers 103 have been manually moved to the upper position shown in FIG. 3, a label moves into the trough opening and slides up the inner surface of the side 105a, and then slides downwardly due to the force of gravity after release from the feed rollers 46 and 47. The rearward end of the side 105a is forwardly spaced from the upper end of the slide 61 so that the label is flipped over as it leaves the side 105a and drops on to the slide 61.

To cause the labels to enter the chute with the adhesive side facing upwardly, the fingers 103 are manually pivoted to a lower position (FIG. 6) where they prevent the labels from entering the opening of the trough shaped member 102 and thereby being inverted. The two fingers 103 extend across the trough openings, and a label leaving the feed rollers 46 and 47 strikes the fingers and is deflected onto the slide 61 without being inverted.

In operation, assume that the labels are delivered by the printing mechanism with the printed side facing downwardly and the adhesive side of the label facing upwardly. To adjust the label handling device for use with the automatic transfer and labeling machine, the fingers 103 are moved to the upward position shown in FIG. 3 and the pin 81 is pulled toward the right as seen in FIG. 2 where it is out of engagement with the plate 72. When a label is delivered to the rotating feed rollers 46 and 47 by the printing mechanism, the feed rollers 46 and 47 engage the label and snap it toward the left as seen in FIG. 3. This position of the label is indicated by the numeral 111a. The forward edge of the label slides upwardly along the lower side 105a of the member 102 and comes to a stop in a position indicated at 111b. Then, due to the inclination of the lower side 105a the label slides downwardly to a position indicated at 111C and the rearward edge of the label engages the slide 61 and the label is flipped over as it drops on to the slide 61. The label then slides downwardly until it engages 'the upwardly extending arms of the stop 71 and is held thereby in a position indicated at 111d. Thereafter, a label pickup head (not shown) of the transfer and labeling machine moves to a position over the label at the position indicated at 111d and picks up the label with the adhesive side facing downwardly, heats the label in order to activate the adhesive, and applies the label to an article. The transfer and labeling machine also includes means for turning the lever 96 as the label is being picked in order to retract the stop 71 to the dashed line position shown in FIG. 3, Where the stop cannot interfere with the operation of the label pickup head while it is picking up the label.

When the system is to be manually operated, the heater 63 is employed to heat the labels in order to activate the adhesive backing. Since a label is issued by the printer with its adhesive side facing upwardly and it is desirable to have the adhesive side of the label facing away from the heater it is not necessary to invert the label. Therefore, the fingers 103 are pivoted downwardly to the position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 where they engage the stop 107 and block the opening of the trough-shaped member 102. Further, to permit a label sliding down the chute to reach the heater 63, the stop 71 is moved downwardly and held there by pushing the pin 81 inwardly. In operation, a label in a position indicated at 111a leaves the feed rollers 46 and 47, engages the underside of the two fingers 103 and is deflected downwardly into the chute without having been turned over. The label slides downwardly along the rods 62 and over the top of the stop 71, and is halted on top of the heater 63 by the stop portion 70 of the retainer 68 in a position indicated at 111 The operator then applies the label to the article by picking up the article and slapping it on top of the label handling device. The label retainer 68 is pushed downwardly by the article and the article engages the label. The heater 63 has previously heated the label in order to activate the adhesive which causes the label to adhere to the article when the article is lifted upwardly.

To prevent the accumulation of printed labels in the label handling device while operating in the foregoing manual mode, there is provided a switch 121 (FIGS. 3, 6 and 7) which must be actuated after a printed label has been issued by the printing mechanism, before a new label will be issued. The switch 121 may be connected in the circuit of the printing mechanism such that one actuation of the switch is required after each printing operation. The switch 121 is secured to a bracket 122 which is supported by the side plates 23 and 24, and is located underneath the leaf 72 and the rods 62. The switch 121 includes an actuating arm 123 which extends laterally away from the main body of the switch to a position underneath a lever 124. The lever 124 is mounted for pivotal movement on a laterally extending axis by means of a rod 126 which is mounted on the side plates 23 and 24. From the rod 126, the lever extends downwardly and forwardly, and its forward end portion extends over the switch actuating arm 123. To swing the forward end portion of the lever 124 downwardly in order to actuate the switch 121, a finger 127 is secured to the label retainer 68 at one side of the chute, the lower end of the finger 127 being bent laterally inwardly such that it extends over the forward end of the lever 124. Since the finger 127 is ofl? to one side of the rods 62, it does not interfere with labels sliding down the chute. During operation, the retainer 68 and the finger 127 are pushed downwardly by the article each time an article is slapped on to the device, sufficiently far to actuate the switch 121.

A separate switch and actuating mechanism therefore (not shown) are preferably provided for use when the device is adjusted for automatic operation with the transfer and labeling machine. The actuating mechanism may comprise a cam connected to be rotated by the mechanism which drives the label pickup mechanism of the transfer and labeling machine, the switch being positioned adjacent the cam and actuated after each label pickup operation.

In the foregoing description, it has been assumed that the labels are issued by the label printing mechanism with the adhesive side of the label facing upwardly. If the label printing mechanism were arranged to issue the labels with the adhesive side facing downwardly, the label inverting mechanism could be adjusted to invert the labels when they are permitted to move downwardly to the heater 63. Further, while two stops have been shown for holding the label at two possible positions and the heater is shown at the lowermost of the two positions, the heater could be located at the uppermost of the two positions, in

which case the label pick-up head of the automatic transfer and labeling machine would pick up the label at the lowermost of the two positions. In such operation, it would be desirable to have the heater turned off while operating in the automatic mode.

We claim: 1

1. A label handling device for use in a system for weighing a package, computing data relative thereto, printing such data on one side of a label, and issuing such labels, said device comprising a frame, a downwardly inclined chute on said frame, said frame being adapted to be mounted in said system with the upper end of said chute adapted to receive the printed label on issuance of the label, whereby such labels slide down said chute, a first label stop on said frame at one position adjacent the lower end of said chute, and a second label stop on said frame at a second position intermediate the ends of said chute, said first and second stops extending into the path of labels moving down said chute and thereby being adapted to engage and hold such labels at either said first or second positions, said second stop being retractable out of said path of the labels on the chute to permit the labels on issuance to move down said chute to said first position without stopping at said second position.

2. A label handling device for use in a system for weighing a package, computing data relative thereto, printing such data on one side of a label, and issuing such labels, said device comprising a frame, a downwardly inclined chute on said frame, said frame being adapted to be mounted in said system with the upper end of said chute adapted to receive the printed label, whereby such labels slide down said chute, a first label stop on said frame at one position adjacent the lowerend of said chute, and a second label stop on said frame at a second position intermediate the ends of said chute, said first and second stops extending into the path of labels moving down said chute and thereby being adapted to engage and hold such labels at either said first or second positions, said second stop being retractable out of said path of the labels on the chute to permit the labels to move down said chute to said first position, said device being adapted for use with labels having a heat activatable adhesive on the side opposite the printed side, said device further including heater means on said frame at one of said positions for heating a label being held by the stop associated with said one position. I r

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein said, heater means is located at said first position, and said first stop is also retractably mounted on said frame to permit access to the label when heated by said heater means.

4. A label handling device as in claim 1, and further including adjustable means for holding said second stop in its retracted position whereby when said second stop is in its retracted position said labels moving down said chute move past said second stop to said first stop.

5. A label handling device for use in a system for weighing a package, computing data relative thereto, printing such data on one side of a label, and issuing such labels, said device comprising a frame, a downwardly inclined chute on said frame, said frame being adapted to be mounted in said system with the upper end of said chute adapted to receive the printed label, whereby such labels slide down said chute, a first label stop on said frame at one position adjacent the lower end of said chute, and a second label stop on said frame at a second position intermediate the ends of said chute, said first and second stops extending into the path of labels moving down said chute and thereby being adapted to engage and hold such labels at either said first or second positions, said second stop being retractable out of said path of the labels on the chute to permit the labels to move down said chute to said first position, adjustable means for holding said second stop in its retracted position whereby labels moving down said chute move past said second stop to said first stop, and retracting means on said second stop for retracting said second stop each time a label being held by said second stop is being picked up.

6. A label handling device for use in a system for weighing a package, computing data relative thereto, printing such data on one side of a label and issuing such labels, said device comprising a frame, a downwardly inclined chute on said frame, said frame being adapted to be mounted in said system with the upper end of said chute adapted to receive the printed label, whereby such labels slide down said chute, and label inverting means on said frame adjacent the upper end of said chute, said label inverting means being adjustable between a first position where it receives a label, inverts said label, and directs said label into said chute, and a second position where it directs a label into said chute without first inverting said label.

7. A label handling device as in claim 6, wherein said label inverting means comprises a generally trough shaped member mounted on said frame with the opening of the trough positioned to receive labels therein, and adjustable blocking means adapted selectively to block said trough opening when the label inverting means is in said second position and to unblock said trough opening when said label inverting means is in said first'position, whereby a label may be received within said opening when said label inverting means is in said first position and be inverted by said member, and a label may be blocked from entering said opening when said label inverting means is in said second position and thereby be prevented from being inverted.

8. A label handling device for use in a system for weighing a package, computing data relative thereto, printing such data on one side of a label and issuing such labels, said device comprising a frame, a downwardly inclined chute on said frame, said frame being adapted to be mounted in said system with the upper end of said chute adapted to receive the printed label, whereby such labels slide down said chute, and label inverting means on said frame adjacent the upper end of said chute, said label inverting means being adjustable between a first position where it receives a label, inverts said label, and directs said label into said chute, and a second position Where it directs a label into said chute without first inverting said label, said label inverting means comprising a generally trough-shaped member mounted on said frame with the opening of the trough positioned to receive labels therein, and adjustable blocking means adapted selectively to block said trough opening when the label inventing means is in said second position and to unblock said trough opening when said label inverting means is in said first position, whereby a label may be received within said opening when said label inverting means is in said first position and be inverted in said member, and a label may be blocked from entering said opening when said label inverting means is in said second position and thereby be prevented from beng inverted, said adjustable blocking means comprising at least one finger which is pivotally mounted adjacent said trough-shaped member and extends across the opening of said trough shaped member when in blocking position.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8, wherein said trough shaped member has a slot formed therein and said finger extends into said slot and frictionally engages an edge of said slot, such frictional engagement holding said finger at an adjusted position.

10. A label handling device for use in a system for weighing a package, computing data relative thereto, printing such data on one side of a label having a heat activatable adhesive on the other side thereof, and issuing such labels, said device comprising a frame, a downwardly inclined chute on said frame, said frame being adapted to be mounted in said system with the upper end of said chute adapted to receive the printed label, whereby such labels slide down said chute, a first label stop on said frame at a first position adjacent the lower end of said chute, a second label stop on said frame at a second position intermediate the ends of said chute and above said first stop, said first and second stop extending into the path of labels moving down said chute and thereby being adapted to engage and hold such labels at either said first or second positions, said second stop being retractable out of said path of the labels on the chute to permit the labels to move down said chute to said first position, heater means on said frame adjacent said first stop for heating a label being held by said first stop, and adjustable label inverting means on said frame adjacent the upper end of said chute, said label inverting means being adjustable between one position where it receives a label when issued, inverts said label, and directs said label into said chute and another position where it directs a label into said chute without inverting said label.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

